Five Guided Walks of the Memorial
What a guided walk covers
Every walk stays on the free, outdoor part of the site: the Oculus, St. Paul’s Chapel, the FDNY Ten House and its memorial wall, the two pools and the Survivor Tree. Each is led by a New Yorker guide; the Ground Zero walk describes its guides as people with personal connections to 9/11, and reviewers on several walks mention a guide who was in the city that day. The walk itself needs no ticket, because the memorial is free. What the operator sells is the guide, the route and the option of the museum or the observatory at the end. Inside the museum the walk’s guide does not lead the group: on the “VIP” options a museum docent takes over, and on the plain museum options the visit is self-guided. The Ground Zero page explains what the name means and what stands there now.
The routes, stop by stop
Ground Zero memorial walk. Oculus (15 minutes), then the pools and the Survivor Tree (75 minutes), then the museum for about an hour if chosen. Three options: walk only, walk with museum entry, or walk with a VIP guided museum tour.
Full Access walk. The same route from L’Arte del Gelato through the Oculus and the pools, then the museum (1 hour, optional) and One World Observatory (1 hour, optional), with a drop-off back at the memorial. Three options: walk only, Full Access, or Full Access with a VIP guided museum tour.
Memorial-and-observatory walk. St. Paul’s Chapel (15 minutes), the Oculus (15 minutes), the pools (30 minutes), then the observatory for an hour if chosen. Four options: walk only, walk with observatory, private walk, private walk with observatory. No option includes the museum.
City Hall walk. The longest route, from Warren Street and Broadway: St. Paul’s Chapel, Trinity Church, the FDNY Ten House, the Oculus, One World Trade Center, then the pools and the Survivor Tree, with the museum (about 1.5 hours) and the observatory (about 1.5 hours) as options. Four options: walk only, walk with museum, Full Access, walk with observatory.
Small-group walk. St. Paul’s Chapel (15 minutes), the Oculus (10 minutes), Brookfield Place (15 minutes), the waterfront park by the Hudson (15 minutes), the FDNY Ten House (10 minutes), the pools (15 minutes) and a photo stop at One World Trade Center (10 minutes), then the museum for about an hour if chosen. Two options: with or without museum entry. The nearby page describes each of these stops.
Duration and meeting points
The Ground Zero, Full Access and memorial-and-observatory walks are listed at 1.5 to 2.5 hours and all meet at L’Arte del Gelato, a short walk from the memorial; the Ground Zero walk ends at one of two drop-off points. The City Hall walk is listed at 1.5 to 5 hours depending on the option and meets at Warren Street and Broadway beside City Hall Park; the spot may vary by option. The small-group walk is 1.5 hours, plus about an hour if the museum is chosen, and meets at the M Social Hotel New York Downtown, formerly the Millennium Downtown, across Church Street from the site. Every walk asks for arrival 15 minutes early. No printout is needed: the guide takes names at the meeting point. The walks run rain or shine, and each has a large outdoor portion, so comfortable shoes and water are listed.
Group size and accessibility
The small-group walk is capped at 20 people. Stephen from the UK found himself in a group of two, and Carsta from Germany ended up on what became a private tour. The memorial-and-observatory walk sells a private option. The other listings do not state a group size. On accessibility the six options divide five to one: the museum is fully accessible, and the Ground Zero, Full Access, memorial-and-observatory and City Hall walks are each listed as wheelchair accessible. The small-group walk is listed as not suitable for people with back problems, mobility impairments or wheelchair users, with a significant amount of walking, and it excludes strollers and large bags.
The museum option: self-guided or with a docent
Museum entry on a walk is a timed ticket like any other, and the museum’s security and bag rules apply at the pavilion. On the Ground Zero and Full Access walks the choice is between a self-guided visit and a “VIP” option in which a museum docent leads a guided tour inside before the group stays on. On the City Hall walk the listing describes skip-the-line access through a separate entrance, and on the small-group walk the visit is self-guided for about an hour. The museum’s own timed ticket, sold separately, attaches the same kind of 60-minute museum tour; the guided-or-self-guided page compares the museum tour, the audio guide and going alone.
Which walks add the observatory
The Full Access walk, the memorial-and-observatory walk and the City Hall walk each sell One World Observatory as an option. It is a separate timed ticket for floors 100 to 102, with its own security line, and the observatory slot is date-specific. On the Full Access walk the guide accompanies the group into the observatory. The observatory combos page covers the three.
The five walks
Durations are printed on each card. Every walk allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Guided walkNYC: Ground Zero 9/11 Memorial Tour w/ Museum Option
Walk, museum, views9/11 Memorial Tour with Museum and One World Entry Options
No museumNYC: 9/11 Memorial Tour and Optional Observatory Ticket
From City Hall9/11 Memorial Tour with Optional Museum and One World Access
Max 20 people9/11 Memorial & Ground Zero Tour with Optional Museum Entry
Four of them, side by side
The Ground Zero walk, the memorial-and-observatory walk, the City Hall walk and the small-group walk take four different routes from four different starting points. The table sets them out.
| Guided walkNYC: Ground Zero 9/11 Memorial Tour w/ Museum Option | NYC: 9/11 Memorial Tour and Optional Observatory Ticket | 9/11 Memorial Tour with Optional Museum and One World Access | 9/11 Memorial & Ground Zero Tour with Optional Museum Entry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route | Oculus, pools, Survivor Tree | St. Paul’s, Oculus, pools | St. Paul’s, Trinity, Ten House, Oculus, pools | St. Paul’s, Oculus, Brookfield, Ten House, pools |
| Duration | 1.5 to 2.5 hours | 1.5 to 2.5 hours | 1.5 to 5 hours, by option | 1.5 hours; museum adds about 1 hour |
| Meeting point | L’Arte del Gelato | L’Arte del Gelato | Warren Street and Broadway | M Social Hotel, Church Street |
| Group size | Not stated on the listing | Private option available | Not stated on the listing | Maximum 20 people |
| Wheelchair | Accessible | Accessible | Accessible | Not suitable |
| Book this | Book this | Book this | Book this |
Guided walkNYC: Ground Zero 9/11 Memorial Tour w/ Museum Option
- Route
- Oculus, pools, Survivor Tree
- Duration
- 1.5 to 2.5 hours
- Meeting point
- L’Arte del Gelato
- Group size
- Not stated on the listing
- Wheelchair
- Accessible
NYC: 9/11 Memorial Tour and Optional Observatory Ticket
- Route
- St. Paul’s, Oculus, pools
- Duration
- 1.5 to 2.5 hours
- Meeting point
- L’Arte del Gelato
- Group size
- Private option available
- Wheelchair
- Accessible
9/11 Memorial Tour with Optional Museum and One World Access
- Route
- St. Paul’s, Trinity, Ten House, Oculus, pools
- Duration
- 1.5 to 5 hours, by option
- Meeting point
- Warren Street and Broadway
- Group size
- Not stated on the listing
- Wheelchair
- Accessible
9/11 Memorial & Ground Zero Tour with Optional Museum Entry
- Route
- St. Paul’s, Oculus, Brookfield, Ten House, pools
- Duration
- 1.5 hours; museum adds about 1 hour
- Meeting point
- M Social Hotel, Church Street
- Group size
- Maximum 20 people
- Wheelchair
- Not suitable
What reviewers mention
The guides are what reviewers write about. On the Ground Zero walk James from the US wrote that the guide “spoke with sincere heartache”, and Janet from the UK found him very informative. On the Full Access walk Jade from the UK noted the guide had been there on the day, and Karyn from the UK wrote that he watched the extreme heat and kept everyone comfortable. On the City Hall walk Nicholas from the UK mentioned in-depth knowledge at a relaxed pace. On the small-group walk Floor from the Netherlands wrote that the guide knew a lot about the people involved. The close-ups collect these by walk.
The routes overlap, so the choice comes down to the start point and the add-on. A hotel north of the site suits the City Hall walk; a visitor who wants the museum with a docent looks at the VIP options on the Ground Zero and Full Access walks; a visitor who has already booked the museum separately can take the memorial-and-observatory walk without paying for the museum twice.
Check dates for the Ground Zero walk
The walk runs rain or shine and allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Pick a date to see which departures are open.
Frequently asked questions
Does the walking-tour guide go into the museum?
No. The guide leads the outdoor part. Inside the museum the visit is self-guided, or on the VIP options of the Ground Zero and Full Access walks a museum docent leads a guided tour. The museum’s own timed ticket sells the same kind of docent-led tour separately.
Which walk suits a wheelchair user?
The Ground Zero, Full Access, memorial-and-observatory and City Hall walks are all listed as wheelchair accessible, and the museum itself is fully accessible. The small-group walk is listed as not suitable. The which-tour page sorts the options by need.
Is a printed ticket needed for a walk?
No. Each walk books by name; the guide takes names at the meeting point. Arrival 15 minutes before the start is asked for, and the walks run rain or shine.
What happens with a large bag on a walk that enters the museum?
Large bags are not allowed in the museum. One bag per person no larger than 8 by 17 by 19 inches passes security; larger bags go to the mandatory coat check, and the small-group walk does not allow luggage or large bags at all.